Shimiko was fuming mad. She was so angry that she could kill someone. She was so angry that she could kill someone at the Heavenly Emporium. Fortunately, ever since the birth of her daughter, she had been trying to approach life from a new perspective. Ryuko had called her a poet and Shimiko was no such thing. She thought poetry was stupid and that violence was a much better means of expressing one self. Nevertheless, her old way of doing things had nearly resulted in killing those most important to her. Poetry was dumb but that didn't mean she couldn't learn a thing or two from it. Whenever she got angry, she had taken to reading and writing Chinoike pastorals. It helped. Barely. Shimiko had calmed down enough to re-think her plans to assassinate Akihiro, his girlfriend, and his whole family. Whatever he had done, he had done for a reason and Ryuko's concerns about fighting a two front war were legitimate. Kiri would forever be in her crosshairs, but if there was a way to get Konoha off their back then it was a shot worth taking. Whatever had provoked Akihiro into earning her ire was a subject worthy of discussion. She'd give him that much. If he failed to take this opportunity to explain himself and offer a remedy, then there was nothing that could save his village from her wrath.
A formal meeting would be too obvious. Shimiko wanted to keep their discussion under wraps and the best way to do so was under the guise of a social outing. Shimiko had been fond of Kimiko ever since she had met the girl while working under cover. She reminded Shimiko a lot of herself when she was younger. After the attack on Moonspire, they were now enemies but it wasn't personal. If she had to die then that's what the price of war was. It was all routine. There was no reason they couldn't at least become more acquainted. Thus, after reading a particularly moving piece about a grand ball in the Mountains, Shimiko came up with the perfect way to grill Akihiro without attracting too much attention.
The Stag Tower was hosting an exclusive wine tasting event. It was the sort of event designed to allow the rich and powerful to rub shoulders with each other despite the ever increasing threat of global war. Perhaps it was an attempt to allow the privledged a chance to ignore the realities that the commoners faced or maybe it was an chance to remind the world's stakeholders that they had more in common than they realized. Whatever the case may be, only the world's most elite were invited to attend. Gourds of the most expensive and rare wines known to man were to be sampled. There were bottles that had not been opened since the Sage's death. It was just the sort of thing to put her in a good mood and refrain from breaching the peace of the Emporium. Shimiko secured two tickets for Vik and herself then sent Akihiro a cordial letter.
The sub-text of the letter was quite clear and if Aki chose to ignore it then it would tell Shimiko all she needed to know. The Chinoike couple would be there regardless of whether he showed up. She did love getting doled up and going to these kinds of events. Nariko was babysitting Désirée which was good because if it were anyone else, she wouldn't have been able to relax. She and Vik were standing at a table a bit aways from the entrance. The two were dressed to the nines. Shimiko wore a red dress with a silk scarf, red choker with a Jashinist pendant, and a rose in her hair. Vik wore a standard black tuxedo with a rose pinned to his lapel. The pair were sipping on some starter wines. Vik knew what Shimiko was planning even if she hadn't told him directly. He didn't mind. This was the kind of thing he had signed up for when he married Kumo's ANBU Captain. When Akihiro and Kimiko arrived, Shimiko would wave excitedly. She motioned for them to come over but under her breath however, she muttered:
"Lying rat-sparrow bastard. Kimiko could do so much better."
It was a provocative statement but she hadn't chucked a knife at him so this was an improvement. Baby steps.
A formal meeting would be too obvious. Shimiko wanted to keep their discussion under wraps and the best way to do so was under the guise of a social outing. Shimiko had been fond of Kimiko ever since she had met the girl while working under cover. She reminded Shimiko a lot of herself when she was younger. After the attack on Moonspire, they were now enemies but it wasn't personal. If she had to die then that's what the price of war was. It was all routine. There was no reason they couldn't at least become more acquainted. Thus, after reading a particularly moving piece about a grand ball in the Mountains, Shimiko came up with the perfect way to grill Akihiro without attracting too much attention.
The Stag Tower was hosting an exclusive wine tasting event. It was the sort of event designed to allow the rich and powerful to rub shoulders with each other despite the ever increasing threat of global war. Perhaps it was an attempt to allow the privledged a chance to ignore the realities that the commoners faced or maybe it was an chance to remind the world's stakeholders that they had more in common than they realized. Whatever the case may be, only the world's most elite were invited to attend. Gourds of the most expensive and rare wines known to man were to be sampled. There were bottles that had not been opened since the Sage's death. It was just the sort of thing to put her in a good mood and refrain from breaching the peace of the Emporium. Shimiko secured two tickets for Vik and herself then sent Akihiro a cordial letter.
- Spoiler:
Dear Akihiro,
I haven't heard from you in awhile. You must be quite busy. Individuals in our position must take time to relax and enjoy life while we still can. Too much work can lead to bad decisions that can have fatal consequences for those we care about. Please join me and my husband Vik at the Stag Wine Mixer. It will be tons of fun and we have a lot to catch up on!
PS: Bring a date.
Sincerely,
Shimiko
The sub-text of the letter was quite clear and if Aki chose to ignore it then it would tell Shimiko all she needed to know. The Chinoike couple would be there regardless of whether he showed up. She did love getting doled up and going to these kinds of events. Nariko was babysitting Désirée which was good because if it were anyone else, she wouldn't have been able to relax. She and Vik were standing at a table a bit aways from the entrance. The two were dressed to the nines. Shimiko wore a red dress with a silk scarf, red choker with a Jashinist pendant, and a rose in her hair. Vik wore a standard black tuxedo with a rose pinned to his lapel. The pair were sipping on some starter wines. Vik knew what Shimiko was planning even if she hadn't told him directly. He didn't mind. This was the kind of thing he had signed up for when he married Kumo's ANBU Captain. When Akihiro and Kimiko arrived, Shimiko would wave excitedly. She motioned for them to come over but under her breath however, she muttered:
"Lying rat-sparrow bastard. Kimiko could do so much better."
It was a provocative statement but she hadn't chucked a knife at him so this was an improvement. Baby steps.